Guardians of Ga'Hoole 11 - To Be a King

wait until the hagsfiends left the palace. If all of these factions were fighting in the N’yrthghar, it mightbe too late. Another faction might take over. And the Ice Palace was rotting, decomposing as they spoke.
    Theo returned to the banquet hollow. It did not appear that he was missed. His mother was excited. “Oh, Theo, your dear brother is offering us the most splendid quarters for the day. The ice hollows in the eastern parapet.”
    Shadyk churred and an odd light danced in his amber eyes. He cocked his head. “I am sure, dear brother, you will be most comfortable there. Pleasant dreams.”
    Is my mother completely benighted? And what about Wyg? He as well? Theo looked about the niche in the eastern defense wall. Even here on an outer wall exposed to the cold, the interior of this sleeping hollow had begun to show signs of rot. He could even hear the ice worms stirring. “Mum, Wyg?”
    “Yes, dear.”
    “Don’t you hear the ice worms stirring?”
    “Oh, it’s just your imagination, Theo. You were always so sensitive.”
    Am I going mad? How can they not see this?
    “You know, Theo, this is where they said the egg of the young prince was first set down by Queen Siv. What an honor indeed to be allowed to sleep here. And just look at the gleam of these walls—like silver. And see? Even the morning stars shine through.”
    The walls are melting! Theo nearly screamed. He felt as if the universe was being turned inside out or upside down—or both. “Wyg,” he said in a gentle quiet voice. “Do you think that there is something wrong with the ice? Doesn’t it seem rather…rather…”—he did not want to use the word “rotten”—“rather unstable?”
    “Just a bit, Theo, but come Short Light, it will be solid again.”
    “Oh, Theo, you must stay for Long Night. Your brother has planned such a wonderful celebration. And it is less than a moon cycle away.”
    Long Night was one of the most festive holidays in the N’yrthghar, for it celebrated the disappearance of the sun and the longest darkness. In the world of owls night was always more valued than day. At Long Night, both young and older owls could fly to their gizzards’ content and waste little time on sleep. There were all sorts of sports and games, and gadfeathers came to sing and do their lively sky jigs in front of the bright plate of moon.
    But Long Night with a mad brother? Theo thought. Horrible. And yet if I stay I would be the most valuable slipgizzle in all the N’yrthghar.

CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
Desert Hags
    F rom the air the byrrgis looked like a long silvery streak coursing through the countryside. Hoole had never imagined that such a gathering of wolves could be mustered. But after her long absence from the Beyond, Namara was greeted like a returning hero. The clan chieftains ran in the forefront of the byrrgis. There was stalwart Dunmore, fearless Duncan MacDuncan, rugged Stormfast, dauntless Banquo, and behind them scores of others from various clans. Fengo himself, though old, was also part of this byrrgis. Although Hoole was the king of the great tree, the wolves knew that the young king was indeed a guardian of all creatures, be they of land or sky. They remembered him from the time he had run with them on the hunt and how when he killed he performed the lochinvyrr as if he were a wolf. They remembered his courage in battle and, perhaps most of all, they remembered his loyalty to Hordweard, the outcast wolf, who now, as Namara MacNamara, led this byrrgis.
    The forests were vanishing as Hoole looked below at the ground turning scrubby with brambles and low-growing, shallow-rooted plants. They were nearing the Desert of Kuneer. Traveling both day and night, they had made good time. Hoole had seen no signs of crows, and in any case did not fear daylight flying now, for with the wolves directly beneath him he could quickly dive into the byrrgis for protection if crows began to mob.
    Together, the wolves and Hoole had devised a plan. They would not travel too far into the desert, but first look for a good base, either a cave or sand embankment that they could burrow into or hide behind. Hoole and the wolves would work together. Because of his aerial vantage point, Hoole was responsible for scanning the terrain for a base of operations. The wolves, given their keen sense of smell, would send out a tracking team to find the hagsfiends or any telltale signs of them, such as the tumbledown that Phineas had found.
    It was not long